Ohio EPA Announces $15 Million in First Round ‘VW Settlement Grants’ to Improve Air Quality

Ohio EPA has selected 21 VW Mitigation Grant recipients for projects geared toward reducing nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel vehicles and equipment. NOx emissions are significant contributors to ground-level ozone pollution. This first round of funding from Ohio’s portion of the national Volkswagen settlement directs $15 million toward replacing diesel engines in the state’s counties that presently do not meet federal air quality standards for ozone.

Selection considerations also were given for specifically targeted reduction categories (e.g. school and transit buses, heavy duty trucks, airport ground-support equipment) and to vehicle replacement projects that would produce the largest reduction of NOx emissions for the grant dollars invested. Twenty-one organizations and businesses scored highest among all first round applicants and will receive grants as follows:

Big Walnut Local Schools, Delaware County, $137,771 for 49.8 percent of the cost to replace three model year 2001-2002 diesel-powered school buses with three model year 2019 propane-powered school buses;

Black River Local Schools, Medina County, $68,637 for 75 percent of the cost to replace one model year 2002 diesel-powered school bus with one model year 2019 diesel-powered school bus;

Butler County Regional Transit Authority, Butler County, $424,356 for 20 percent of the cost to replace four model year 2005 diesel-powered transit buses with four model year 2018-2019 diesel-powered transit buses;

Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Franklin County, partial funding of $1,013,253 for 30 percent of the cost to replace five model year 2008 diesel-powered transit buses with five model year 2020-2022 electric-powered transit buses;

Columbus City Schools, Franklin County, $2 million for 50 percent of the cost to replace 40 model year 1991 diesel-powered school buses with 40 model year 2018 diesel-powered school buses;

Dean Transportation, Inc, Hamilton and Summit counties, $147,537 for 25 percent of the cost to replace five model year 2002-2006 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks with five model year 2019 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks;

Durham School Services LP, Butler, Clermont, Franklin, Hamilton, Summit and Warren counties, $2 million for 25 percent of the cost to replace 99 model year 1994-2003 diesel-powered school buses with 99 model year 2019 diesel-powered school buses;

Fairfield County Engineer, Fairfield County, $123,171 for 25 percent of the cost to replace three model year 2001-2003 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks with three model year 2018 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks;

First Student, Inc., Cuyahoga, Hamilton, Lorain, and Summit counties, partial funding of $538,960 for 20 percent of the cost to replace 16 model year 2007 diesel-powered school buses with 16 model year 2020 propane-powered school buses, and to replace 14 model year 2005-2007 diesel-powered school buses with 14 model year 2020 diesel-powered school buses;

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Cuyahoga County, $2 million for 68 percent of the cost to replace six model year 2003-2007 diesel-powered transit buses with six model year 2018 CNG-powered transit buses;

Kent State University Airport, Summit County, $51,399 for 75 percent of the cost to replace one model year 1992 piece of diesel-powered airport ground support equipment with one model year 2018 piece of all-electric airport ground support equipment; and

The Kroger Co, Delaware and Hamilton Counties, $150,000 for 24 percent of the cost to replace five model year 2002-2009 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks with five model year 2019 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks;

Local Waste Services, Franklin County, $181,712 for 25 percent of the cost to replace two model year 1999 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks with two model year 2019 heavy duty CNG-powered local freight trucks;

Splash Transport, Inc, Hamilton County, $71,826 for 25 percent of the cost to replace three model year 1995-1997 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks with three model year 2019 heavy duty diesel-powered local freight trucks;

United Airlines, Cuyahoga County, $1,896,985 for 75 percent of the cost to replace 14 pieces of model year 1997-1999 diesel-powered airport ground support equipment with 14 pieces of model year 2018 all-electric airport ground support equipment.

The grant program will invest $75 million over the next 10 years to reduce NOx pollution in Ohio. Funding comes from dollars allocated to Ohio from the settlement of an enforcement action taken against Volkswagen and its affiliated companies by U.S. EPA and the state of California for violations under the Clean Air Act. Applicants not selected in the first round of grants will be offered additional assistance with grant writing and applications for the second round, which opens June 3, 2019. Considerations also will be given to applications from ‘second priority counties’ along with the goal of producing the largest reductions of NOx emissions for the grant dollars invested and other criteria.

Ohio EPA has posted a copy the state’s Beneficiary Mitigation Plan for spending these funds on the Agency’s VW program webpage, www.epa.ohio.gov

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.